Chapter 2

"I'm sorry, Claire. That joke went too far."

One of Ethan's men quickly backtracked, smacking his own wrist in exaggerated punishment.

Ethan ignored him and pointed toward the young dancer still standing on the stage.

"Get out."

His voice was cold enough to silence the entire room.

Then he turned on the men around him.

"What the hell were you thinking, bringing a woman like that into a Family gathering?" His expression hardened. "She doesn't even deserve to stand in the same room as my wife."

The dancer's face went crimson.

Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't dare argue with the heir to the Carter Family. She grabbed her coat and hurried out of the private lounge.

Ethan turned back to me, looking almost satisfied with himself, as though humiliating her in front of everyone proved how devoted he was to me.

I picked up my bag.

"I'm tired. You guys stay and enjoy yourselves."

The moment I stood, Ethan followed.

"I'll take you home."

Neither of us spoke as we walked out to the car.

Just as I got into the passenger seat, my phone vibrated.

A new message had arrived from Dr. Reed's research team.

Attached was the full risk disclosure for the cryogenic trial.

I had barely opened it when Ethan glanced over.

"Who's messaging you this late?"

I stared at the document for another second before deleting the notification.

"Spam."

Ethan didn't question me.

Instead, once he started driving, he went back to explaining what had happened at the party.

"The guys were drunk. They called her over without asking me."

"I barely spoke to her."

"I only gave her some cash because I wanted her gone."

He kept talking, as if enough explanations could turn a lie into the truth.

I finally turned toward him.

"Ethan."

His hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what I told you before we got married?"

His fingers trembled.

The car drifted slightly toward the next lane before he corrected it. A few seconds later, Ethan pulled sharply to the side of the road and hit the brakes.

He turned to me, his face pale.

"Claire, I swear to you."

His voice was almost desperate.

"You're the only woman I'll ever love. I would never betray you. I would never give you a reason to leave me."

He reached for my hand.

"I mean it."

For a moment, I simply looked at him.

Five years ago, Ethan Carter had made almost exactly the same promise when I became his wife.

Back then, I had believed every word.

Now I only remembered what Dr. Reed had told me.

"The trial begins in Iceland in one month. Until then, you can withdraw at any time."

One month.

I took a quiet breath.

"Ethan, take me to Iceland."

He stared at me.

"I want to see the Northern Lights."

The tension visibly left his shoulders.

"Of course."

He let out a long breath and squeezed my hand.

"Whatever you want, Claire."

When we returned to the Carter estate, Ethan followed me upstairs.

The moment we entered our bedroom, he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin against my shoulder.

"You smell good," he murmured.

I stiffened.

I was already a month pregnant.

To keep the pregnancy stable, and because I had planned to surprise Ethan on our anniversary, I had been avoiding intimacy for weeks.

Now, even his touch made my stomach turn.

"I'm tired."

I gently removed his arms from around me.

"I'm going to sleep."

Ethan stood there for a moment.

Then he forced a smile.

"All right. Get some rest."

He picked up the coat he had just taken off.

"I still have some Family business to handle tonight."

He kissed my forehead and left.

I waited until I heard his car pull away from the estate.

Then I followed him.

I kept enough distance between our cars that Ethan wouldn't notice me.

He didn't drive toward the Carter offices.

Instead, he stopped on a deserted stretch of road far from the estate, where there were no Family guards and almost no passing cars.

I parked farther back and watched.

Ethan got out a cigarette and made a call.

Less than twenty minutes later, another car stopped nearby.

The dancer from the party stepped out.

She hurried toward Ethan.

Despite the freezing night air, she shrugged off her coat as soon as she reached him, revealing the thin clothes underneath.

Ethan leaned against his car, cigarette between his lips, watching her with a smile I had never seen him give me.

Then he opened the back door and pulled her inside.

A short while later, the black car began to shake.

I couldn't watch anymore.

My hands were ice-cold as I raised my phone and took several photos.

Then I turned away.

The nausea that rose in my throat had nothing to do with pregnancy.

Ethan didn't return to the estate until almost dawn.

I heard him enter the bedroom quietly.

He went straight to the shower.

When he came back, he slipped beneath the covers as though he had spent the night handling Family business.

Then he wrapped an arm around my waist and fell asleep.

I lay awake beside him.

By the time Ethan woke the next morning, I was already dressed.

My suitcase was beside the door.

He sat up immediately.

"Claire?"

His eyes moved from me to the luggage.

"What are you doing?"

I didn't look at him.

"Getting my visa."

The color drained from Ethan's face.

He threw back the covers and hurried toward me barefoot, grabbing my arm.

"Claire, I..."

His voice caught.

I finally looked at him.

"What?"

Ethan opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

I watched him struggle for several seconds before speaking.

"Didn't you promise to take me to Iceland?"

For a moment, he looked stunned.

Then relief flashed across his face.

"Oh."

He laughed awkwardly and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Right. Iceland."

He slapped his forehead.

"I'm an idiot. I've had so much Family business lately that I completely forgot."

Ethan was already heading toward the bathroom.

"Wait for me. I'll get dressed and go with you."

"Ethan."

He stopped.

Slowly, he turned around.

The nervousness was still there in his eyes.

I looked directly at him.

"Why are you so on edge?"